# How He Vibe Coded a $150K/Year Cake Business Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m7_OIhJEGM Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/9m7_OIhJEGM Generated: 2026-02-14T15:34:14.985+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview William Lindholm, CEO of Daymaker, built the company in one year, reaching $150,000 in ARR by focusing initially on cold-calling newly registered Norwegian companies without websites, leveraging AI tools like Lovable to rapidly prototype and scale, and now aims to expand globally through a network of curated local partners. **Key Points:** - Daymaker achieved $150,000 in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) within one year of starting the entrepreneurial journey. - The initial customer acquisition strategy involved finding newly registered Norwegian companies that lacked a website and cold-calling them directly (0:53). - Lindholm utilized AI tools, specifically mentioning Lovable, to rapidly build and iterate on websites, completing prototypes in about 20 minutes (1:04, 1:43). - The core product, Daymaker, automates birthday celebrations at work by integrating with over 60 HRIS systems like BambooHR, ADP Run, and Rippling (1:11, 6:35). - The company's early success included booking 17 meetings in one day and generating $60,000 in revenue in the first two months (2:18, 1:47). - The current focus is expanding the offering to include fruit baskets and Christmas gifts, proving the model can scale in every city via a curated partner network (7:44, 8:10). - Lindholm emphasizes that Daymaker is a tech company focused on automation, not just a cake delivery service (9:29). ![Screenshot at 0:09: The Daymaker website homepage is displayed, emphasizing their core value proposition: "Making birthdays at work unforgettable" through automatic cake delivery for employees.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/9m7_OIhJEGM/00-00-09.jpg) **Context:** This video features an interview with William Lindholm, the 20-year-old CEO of Daymaker, a Norwegian startup that automates employee birthday celebrations by delivering cakes. Lindholm shares the rapid growth trajectory of his company, which he started a year prior after spending his life in sales since age 12 and briefly attending law school (0:34, 0:45, 1:55). He details the lean, aggressive sales tactics used in Norway and the technological leverage provided by AI tools, which allowed them to quickly validate the product and secure early customers. ## Detailed Analysis William Lindholm, CEO of Daymaker, details how he grew the company to $150,000 in ARR in just one year, starting when he was 19 (0:27, 0:49). His initial strategy was highly unconventional: he identified newly registered Norwegian companies that did not have a website and cold-called them directly (0:53). He heavily relied on AI tools, specifically mentioning Lovable, to quickly create and sell websites in under 20 minutes during these calls (1:04, 1:37). He was transparent with prospects about using AI. The company's product, Daymaker, automates employee celebrations by integrating with numerous HRIS systems like Rippling and BambooHR (6:35). Lindholm emphasizes that their moat is building a network of curated partners globally to ensure they can scale cake delivery in any city, proving they are a tech company focused on automation rather than just a bakery (7:44, 8:17). The initial success was driven by cold-calling, leading to $60,000 in two months, and they have since secured $100,000 in funding on a $3M valuation (1:47, 6:06). The future involves expanding their offering beyond cakes to include fruit baskets and Christmas gifts. ### Founding & Early Traction - Started entrepreneurial journey 1 year ago (0:48) - Reached $150,000 in ARR (0:27) - Initial sales involved cold-calling newly registered Norwegian companies without websites (0:53). ### Technology & Prototyping - Used AI tools like Lovable to build websites in 20 minutes (1:43) - Lindholm built the entire backend, including database tables (6:51) - Employed a 'Money in -> customers out' acquisition model (7:53). ### Business Growth & Metrics - Sold 200 cakes on the Lovable-built platform (6:57) - ICP is 15-40 employees (4:35) - Raised $100,000 on a $3M SAFE valuation (6:06). ### Operations & Integrations - Daymaker automatically plans, schedules, and delivers celebrations (10:42) - Integrates with 60+ HR systems including ADP Run and Rippling (6:35). ### Customer Acquisition Strategy - Relied heavily on cold-calling in Norway (7:15) - Current US strategy uses LinkedIn ads, InMails, and cold email (7:29). ### Future Vision - Expanding offering to fruit baskets and Christmas gifts (8:10) - Goal is to show investors the partner network can scale in every city (7:44) - Focus is on being a tech company, not just a cake company (9:29). ![Screenshot at 0:01: William Lindholm, CEO of Daymaker, is introduced alongside the Daymaker and Lovable logos.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/9m7_OIhJEGM/00-00-01.jpg) ![Screenshot at 0:09: The Daymaker website homepage is shown, highlighting their service of making work birthdays unforgettable by automatically delivering cake.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/9m7_OIhJEGM/00-00-09.jpg) ![Screenshot at 0:26: A graphic highlights Daymaker's achievement of $150,000 in ARR.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/9m7_OIhJEGM/00-00-26.jpg) ![Screenshot at 1:10: Newspaper clippings showing press coverage, including Finansavisen, feature Lindholm.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/9m7_OIhJEGM/00-01-10.jpg) ![Screenshot at 4:15: A transition slide shows the word "Now" indicating current status or progress.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/9m7_OIhJEGM/00-04-15.jpg)